Viper-Class "Phantom" Space Exploration Vehicle

Hi I'm back

This build is one I've had on my shelf for several months now (I built it back in late June), and decided to finally post it here on Ideas.

Being inspired by parody builds of the Vic Viper, I decided to follow suit and make one of my own.

The construction of the wings and the pontoon-like protrusions contain many SNOT techniques that are probably illegal in one way or another, but the end result hides all of that so it doesn't really matter. The engine build was spawned from a conversation with a friend on discord to help him with a hovercraft build, but ultimately he ditched the engine design for that project. After having it sitting in my room for a while I decided to put it to use. The usage of the power miners cage cockpit part (part 64450) for an engine casing is a concept I have had for a long time and used at various points in the past, and it looks quite good in my opinion.

I am quite happy with the cockpit design; the shaping is rather unique, and I am rather proud of the usage of the little technic wing parts (part 61800) to smooth out the gaps on the sides of the cockpit part. The cockpit comfortably fits one pilot, and features a small HUD display and control levers.

The landing gear tucks neatly out of sight under the craft and beneath the wings. I am pretty happy with how well it fits on the bottom, and it smooths out some gaps that would look pretty ugly otherwise. The undercarriage of the spaceship is something I typically neglect, but not this time.

In terms of functionality, as I mentioned it has working landing gear and an opening cockpit. On landing, the wings fold up a little and the landing gear braces it pretty well. In flight, the wings slant downwards a little bit, giving it a nice angle with the wings and a cool front/rear profile.

I believe this would make a good set on the principle that it looks cool, has a lot of cool details, and is a pleasure to build-three things any person would look for in a lego set. Additionally, it has quite a bit of playability, making it a good set for fans who might not be old enough to appreciate the display aspect of things-although rough play would not be recommended, as some aspects of it are not super sturdy. There are several parts I would change out, though I was not able to simply because I didn't have them at the time.